Loss of visual acuity is a growing concern worldwide. The World Health Organization currently estimates to 2.5% the incidence of low vision in industrialized countries and this figure is expected to continue increasing with ageing population. Low vision may be generally referred to as a condition where ordinary eye glasses, lens implants or contact lenses are not sufficient for providing sharp sight. The largest growing segment of the low-vision population in developed countries is expected to be people aged 65 years old and older, which most notably due to age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, cataract, detached retina, and retinitis pigmentosa. Some people are also born with low vision.
Low-vision individuals often find it difficult, if not impossible, to read small writing or to discern small objects without high levels of magnification. This limits their ability to lead an independent life because reading glasses and magnifying glass typically cannot provide sufficient magnification for them. In order to assist low-vision individuals in performing daily tasks, various magnification devices and systems are known in the art, including handheld devices that can be used as video magnifiers.
In many instances, it may be desirable for a user to be able to connect or dock a handheld device to a cable or docking assembly, such as for transferring data between the handheld device and an external device or for supplying power to the docked handheld device.
In this regard, various docking mechanisms are known in the art that can be used to dock a handheld device to a docking assembly. Convenience of docking and undocking of the handheld device should generally be a key feature of docking mechanisms. However, docking mechanisms involving numerous, small or fragile connecting parts, such as forty-pin connectors, are typically not adapted for use by low-vision individuals since these connecting parts require to be precisely and meticulously aligned with respect to one another for properly docking the handheld device. As a result, properly and securely docking a handheld device using existing docking mechanisms can prove to be a challenging task for users suffering from low-vision.
In view of the above considerations, there is therefore a need for a docking assembly for a handheld device that can be used more easily and conveniently by low-vision individuals, while also alleviating at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art.